Lanzarote Convention

16-05-12 Ms Levamo introduces the main
objectives of the ONE in FIVE Campaign to stop sexual
violence against children. She explains that the figure “one
in five” is an estimated figure, based on the recent studies
and research in this field in Europe and from data available
from UNICEF, International Labour Organisation and World
Health Organisation. She adds that there are two main
reasons why is so difficult to obtain a clear picture of
sexual violence against children. Firstly, child victims of
sexual violence find it a taboo to talk about what has
happened to them, for this reason, Ms Levamo emphasised that
it is necessary to empower children to be able to speak up
and seek help from someone who they trust. Secondly, as she
points out “in order to have more data we have to have the
member states to invest in the methodologies, in making sure
we have enough capacity to understand, and by having more
data (…) the member states are able to implement policies
better and they are able to support victims of sexual
violence and their parents”. Ms Levamo also shares the
recent successes and main achievements of the campaign so
far: the active involvement in the campaign of the
Parliamentary Assembly and of the Congress of Local and
Regional Authorities, of professionals, civil society and
NGOs, and other international organisations such as UN,
UNICEF and EU. She presents two examples of best practice in
campaigning: the national campaigns in Cyprus and
Montenegro.